As a good historian should, Luke gave his readers the historical setting. The story begins when Herod was king of Judea. This was Herod the Great, confirmed by the Roman Senate as king of the Jews but never accepted by the Jewish people as their king (although half-Jewish, Herod was not part of the royal line of David). For the Jews living in Judea, this was a time of oppression.Zechariah was a priest, a minister of God who worked at the Temple managing its upkeep, teaching the people the Scriptures, and directing the worship services. At this time there were about twenty thousand priests throughout the country. Priests were divided into twenty-four separate groups of about one thousand each, according to David’s instructions (1 Chronicles 24:3-19). Zechariah was a member of the order (or division) of Abijah. Each division served in the Jerusalem Temple twice each year for one week.
Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Elizabeth descended directly from Aaron, brother of Moses and Israel’s first high priest (Exodus 28:1). Zechariah and Elizabeth both were righteous in God’s eyes. This does not mean that they were sinless, but that they loved God and obeyed him. But they had no children.
Each morning, one of the priests would enter the Holy Place in the Temple to burn incense, which was burned twice daily. Lots were cast to decide who would enter the sanctuary, and one day during that week Zechariah was chosen by lot. Offering the incense before the Lord was considered a great privilege. A priest was allowed to do so only once in his lifetime; many priests never had the opportunity. But it was not by chance that Zechariah was on duty and that he was chosen that day to enter the Holy Place.
As Zechariah discharged his duty in the Holy Place, an angel of the Lord appeared. This was not a dream or a vision; the angel was a royal herald of God. The angel appeared in visible form and spoke audible words to the priest. The angel’s first words to him were, “don’t be afraid.” While Zechariah had been burning incense on the altar, he had also been praying, most likely for Israel’s deliverance and for the coming of the Messiah. The angel’s awesome words must have astounded him: “God has heard your prayer.”
Then the angel said - “Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son.” The angel even told Zechariah what to name the baby. John means “the LORD is gracious.” Through the birth of this son, God was gracious to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and ultimately to all people, for this son would prepare people’s hearts for the Messiah. The special son to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth would fulfill a predetermined purpose before God. John was to be set apart for special service to God. He may have been forbidden to drink wine as part of the Nazirite vow, an ancient vow of consecration to God (Numbers 6:1-8).
John’s role was to be almost identical to that of an Old Testament prophet—to encourage people to turn away from sin and back to the Lord. The angel explained to Zechariah that John would go before God with the spirit and power of Elijah, a great prophet who was known for not mincing words and for standing up to evil rulers.
Zechariah’s response to the angel’s word came perilously close to doubt. Zechariah wanted more than the word of this heavenly visitor, he wanted a sign: How can I know this will happen? Zechariah saw only the obstacle—he and Elizabeth were both past childbearing years, so he reminded the angel of this fact as if it had somehow been overlooked.
The angel explained that he himself was sign enough for Zechariah. “I am Gabriel,” he exclaimed, “I stand in the very presence of God.” Gabriel had come with an extremely important message—Gabriel himself described it as good news. The old priest ought not have doubted anything the angel said.
When Zechariah came out of the temple, he could not pronounce the blessing because he couldn't speak to them. Zechariah would remain silent until his promised son arrived. Zechariah completed his term of service (a week) and then returned home. True to the angel’s words, Elizabeth became pregnant. Zechariah and Elizabeth had been childless for many years, but God was waiting for the right time to encourage them and take away their disgrace. Elizabeth realized that in this impossible pregnancy, God had performed a miracle. She praised God.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is eerily similar to Abraham and Sarah. God can do anything - for anybody - at anytime. The question is, will we trust him and will we believe Him and will we have faith in Him and His promises???
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
Lord, I absolutely, 100 believe that you have a plan for every life.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Lord, I will follow you and pursue you and work to make Your plans come to fruition. I rededicate my life to You this morning and to fulfilling Your purposes for my life. Lord, build COV. Build our people into mighty men and women of God. Build our children and build our students. Give us a heart to reach those who don't know you. Lord, I will hang on to the vision You have given me for our church and people.
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." Acts 20:24 (NIV)
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